Former President Daniel Mark Fogel

Later this morning I will be making an announcement to the UVM Board of Trustees of my decision regarding three key administrative appointments: Jane Knodell as Interim Provost; Domenico Grasso as Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College; and Larry Shirland as Interim Dean of the School of Business Administration. An official press release, which will be sent to media outlets later today, appears below.

I have every confidence that Jane, Dom, and Larry will perform exceptionally in these roles. Please join me in congratulating them as they assume their new positions over the summer.

Daniel Mark Fogel, President

UVM NAMES INTERIM PROVOST; VP FOR RESEARCH AND DEAN OF THE GRADUATE COLLEGE; INTERIM BUSINESS SCHOOL DEAN

University of Vermont president Daniel Mark Fogel announced three key appointments today. Jane Knodell, associate provost for budget and capital planning, has been named interim provost; Domenico Grasso, dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, has been tapped for the position of vice president for research and dean of the Graduate College; and Larry Shirland, professor and associate dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Business Administration, will be interim dean of that school.

Knodell, an associate professor of economics, has served in a variety of key administrative positions at UVM. She was special assistant to the provost in 2006 and in 2007 accepted the role of associate provost for budget and capital planning. She also served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2004 to 2005, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2003 to 2004, and chair of the Department of Economics from 2001 to 2003.

Knodell conducts research and teaches in the fields of money and banking, macroeconomics, and economic history. She applies the tools of economic history, institutional analysis, and monetary economics to understanding the evolution and performance of monetary institutions over time. She also served on the Burlington City Council from 1995 to 2009

“Jane is an experienced and highly capable administrator with a deep understanding of the faculty; we’re fortunate to have her as a member of the UVM community able to serve in this vitally important position,” said Fogel. “I have every confidence that, given her abilities and experience, Jane will make a significant contribution as our chief academic officer during a time of transition,” he added.

Appointments to the position of provost must be brought before the UVM Board of Trustees for approval, which will occur on Friday. Since becoming dean of the college in 2005, Grasso has led a unit that attracted record undergraduate enrollments; an increase in overall research funding and recognition for national scholarship; a significant increase in the number of women on the college’s faculty; the recruitment of a group a highly talented young faculty; and continuing development of systems-based, holistic education programs. Grasso also focused the college on a promising area of specialty: the emerging, cross-disciplinary field of complex systems.

Before coming to UVM, Grasso was the Rosemary Bradford Hewlett Professor and founding director of the pioneering Picker Engineering Program at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Prior to that he was head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at the University of Connecticut. He has also served as vice chair of the Science Advisory Board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, and editor-in-chief of the journal Environmental Engineering Science.

“Dom is a critical player in helping UVM continue its upward advance among the ranks of the nation’s premier small research universities,” said Fogel. “We’re thrilled that he’s joining the leadership team. He has wide experience, both as a visionary leader and a highly productive researcher, and an impressive track record of success,” he added.

Shirland, a professor in the School of Business Administration’s Information Systems and Decision Analysis concentration area, came to the university in 1976 and has long played important administrative roles at UVM. In addition to his current position as associate provost, he has twice before served as interim dean of the school, from 1992 to 1994 and from 2000 to 2002.

His main teaching and research areas are production and operations management, operations research, and quality assurance.

“Larry has a long record of high quality administrative service in the School of Business Administration, as well as top flight resume as a teacher and researcher,” Fogel said. “We’re very happy that he’s is able to take on this important role.”

Knodell will begin her new responsibilities on July 1; Grasso on August 1; and Shirland on July 1.